The Blues are appearing at this stage of the competition for the first time since then – and seventh in total – while Spurs did reach the final again a year later but lost on penalties to Manchester United after a lively goalless draw.

Steady start: The Argentine has won 23 of his 44 games in charge of Tottenham since taking over last summer

The all-Premier League contest at the national stadium will see Mauricio Pochettino pit his wits against the Special One in the managerial stakes.

Spurs head coach Pochettino is awaiting his first silverware since arriving in England in January 2013 – when replacing Nigel Adkins as Southampton’s manager.

Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, won his first trophy as Chelsea boss in the League Cup with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Liverpool at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.

They also won the competition two years later under the Portuguese’s stewardship; the Blues coming from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1 in a fiery contest which saw Howard Webb send off three players while captain John Terry was stretchered off after being kicked in the face.

Familiarity breeds contempt: It will be Chelsea’s 13th outing at Wembley since it re-opened in 2007 while Spurs will be visiting for the fifth time

Chelsea – who are still battling on three fronts despite their FA Cup exit by 2013 League Cup finalists Bradford – will be marginal favourites to claim a first trophy since Mourinho returned to the West London outfit in July 2013.

Stand-out: Kane scored twice, set up another goal and won a penalty in Spurs’ last encounter against Chelsea

It was the only time a Mourinho team has conceded four goals in a league game but the chances of a repeat happening on such a high-profile occasion is highly unlikely.

In-form striker Kane took his tally to 24 goals this season by rescuing a draw with West Ham in the last kick of the game last weekend – 14 of them coming in the top-flight.

The Lilywhites, though, have already been hurt by one player who belongs to Chelsea this week after on-loan Blues forward Mohamed Salah netted in Fiorentina’s 2-0 victory on Thursday night which knocked the North Londoners out of the Europa League at the round of 32 stage.

Sunday’s showdown will be a third game in seven days for Spurs and Pochettino has demanded that his team recover quickly from the setback in Italy – where the side remained for Friday’s training session.

Hitting the front: The Spaniard has scored 17 goals in 27 appearances in this his first season in English football

Chelsea, meanwhile, will have had eight days of rest following their controversial 1-1 draw with Burnley last Saturday which was dominated by referee Martin Atkinson and Clarets striker Ashley Barnes.

Blues midfielder Nemanja Matic will only watch from the Wembley stands – and will sit out the midweek trip to bottom-club Leicester – after his much-publicised red card for reacting to a challenge from Barnes which could have broken his leg.

Horror tackle: The studs of Barnes caught Matic on the side of the shin after the ball had gone – a reckless challenge which could have caused a lot more damage than it did

Mourinho believes the absence of the Serbian – who has ensured Chelsea have lost only once in the 37 games he has appeared in this term – gives Spurs an extra advantage.

But the Blues – in their first domestic cup final since their 2012 FA Cup triumph – have a habit of getting over the line in important games without their best players and either Ramires or Cesc Fabregas should provide sufficient cover.

They may have a prolific scorer in Diego Costa but when it comes to Wembley occasions, no-one is better than Didier Drogba. The veteran striker has scored in all eight games he has played at the stadium as well as nine goals in nine finals he has played in for the club.

Elder statesman: The 36-year-old Ivorian has scored four previous League Cup final goals during the first spell of his Chelsea career

The sides are also separated by six points and six places in the Premier League table heading into the weekend with leaders Chelsea gunning for a first title since 2010 while Spurs are three points behind fourth-placed Manchester United in their Champions League quest.

Tottenham have scored the most goals in the final 10 minutes in the Premier League this term while Chelsea have conceded the most – could that be an omen?

Key figure: Chelsea have lost two of the three games the 26-year-old has missed so far this season

Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic misses out as the Serbian international starts a two-match ban for his controversial red card against Burnley last weekend. It was reduced by the FA this week but he will also be absent for the midweek trip to West Ham in the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho has no fresh injury concerns with Jon Obi Mikel the only other absentee – the Nigerian has not played since the 2-1 win over Aston Villa at the start of the month because of a knee injury.

He may have a tough choice to make in goal with number-one Thibault Courtois having started both legs of the semi-final against Liverpool but Petr Cech – who impressed in the recent Premier League win over Everton – has 11 winners’ medals during his 11 years with the club.

Impressive: Zouma – who made his Blues debut in the League Cup back in September – has started three of the last four PL games

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Frenchman Kurt Zouma could get the nod over Gary Cahill to partner captain John Terry at centre-back while Cesar Azpilicueta is expected to start at left-back despite Felipe Luis having played in every League Cup tie so far.

Likewise, Pochettino also has a goalkeeping dilemma with second-choice Michel Vorm having played in every round of the League Cup thus far ahead of captain Hugo Lloris.

Overlooked: Vorm was also left out of Swansea’s 2013 League Cup Final victory over Bradford as Gerhard Tremmel was preferred (Picture from Zimbio.com)

Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen is expected to be restored to the side after missing out on the starting XI in the Premier League for the first time in 35 games last weekend against West Ham.

Semi-final saviour: The Danish international scored twice against Sheffield United to take Spurs to Wembley and has 11 goals this term

Pochettino made seven changes for Thursday’s Europa League second-leg against Fiorentina, leaving the likes of Harry Kane, Andros Townsend, Ryan Mason, Danny Rose and Kyle Walker among the substitutes.

Captain Younes Kaboul, striker Emmanuel Adebayor and midfielder Etienne Capoue were all left behind and will be desperate to earn a place in the squad on Sunday.

POSSIBLE LINE-UPS:

Tottenham’s Premier League line-up against West Ham United last Sunday

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